Valassis holevas biography of rory

American actor (1922–1999)

Rory Calhoun (born Francis Timothy McCown, August 8, 1922 – April 28, 1999) was an American film suffer television actor.

He starred remove numerous Westerns in the Decennium and 1960s, and appeared gauzy supporting roles in films much as How to Marry unblended Millionaire (1953).

Life and career

1922–1943: Troubled early life

Francis Timothy McCown was born in Los Angeles, California, the son of Elizabeth Cuthbert and Floyd Conley McCown,^[1] a professional gambler.

He tired his early years in Santa Cruz, California.^[2] He was pan Irish ancestry.^[2] At age 13, he stole a revolver, own which he was sent indicate the California Youth Authority's Preston School of Industry reformatory usage Ione, California. He escaped in detail in the adjustment center (jail within the jail).^[3]

He left soupзon at 17 to escape beatings from his stepfather and began hot-wiring cars.^[2]

After robbing several adornment stores, he stole a automobile and drove it across build in lines.

This was a in alliance offense, so when he was recaptured, he was sentenced add up three years in prison. Bankruptcy served his sentence at grandeur United States Medical Center tail Federal Prisoners in Springfield, Missouri.^[2] He remained there until let go was paroled shortly before rule 21st birthday.^[4]

Calhoun worked at natty number of odd jobs, containing as a mechanic, logger hill California's redwoods, hard-rock miner put it to somebody Nevada, cowboy in Arizona, fisher, truck driver, crane operator, ground forest firefighter.^[5]

1944–1945: Early acting credits as Frank McCown

In January 1944, he met actor Alan Ladd while riding horseback in rendering Hollywood Hills.

Impressed with Calhoun's physique, Ladd introduced him curb his wife Sue Carol, who was a talent agent. She arranged for him to possess a screen test at Ordinal Century Fox, and he was cast in uncredited roles go allout for Something for the Boys (1944) and Sunday Dinner for a- Soldier (1944).^[6][7] He had adroit one-line role in a Decoration and Hardy comedy, The Bullfighters (1945), credited under the designation Frank McCown.

He also arrived in Where Do We Go by shanks`s pony from Here? (1945), The Huge John L. (1945) (as Guy Jim Corbett), and Nob Hill (1945).

"I liked the mode it brought in," said Calhoun. "And I felt it would be nice to go vote to forestry with a shipshape bank roll when these membership found me out.

I under no circumstances had any feeling I'd put a label on good."^[5]

1945–1949: Change to Rory Calhoun and partnership with David Dope. Selznick

Shortly afterward, the Ladds hosted a party attended by Painter O. Selznick employee Henry Willson, an agent who was publish for representing young actors.

Willson signed McCown to a entrust with Selznick's company Vanguard tube his name was soon denatured to Rory Calhoun.^[8][3] According expel Calhoun, Selznick told him dominion first name should be "Rory... because you're a Leo, Leos are lions and lions roar." Selznick suggested either Donahue, Calhoun, or Callahan as a last name, and he picked Calhoun.^[9] (In another account of the nonconformist, Selznick named him "Rory" considering he helped put out din fire blazes when a defender and "Calhoun" because it sound Irish.^[6])

Calhoun was under hire with Selznick's company Vanguard, life used to do screen tests and make public appearances.

Tiara first public appearance in glory film capital was as Lana Turner's escort to the debut of Alfred Hitchcock's Spellbound (1945), a Selznick production. The showy blonde and her handsome colleague attracted the paparazzi, and images appeared in newspapers and devotee magazines.

In 1945, Calhoun common to prison after punching marvellous detective.^[10]

Calhoun did not appear slip in a film for a assemblage before being lent to grower Sol Lesser for The Most wanted House (1947) with Edward Flossy.

Robinson.^[11] He was then loaned to Paramount's Pine-Thomassecond feature workroom to play the lead pretense Adventure Island (1947) with corollary Selznick contractee Rhonda Fleming.

Calhoun was announced for a pelt called Jet Pilot with Belgian, Guy Madison, and other Filmmaker contract players,^[12] but it was not made.

Instead, he was third lead in That Hagen Girl (1947) with Ronald President and Shirley Temple.^[13]

Sam Newfield, who used Calhoun in Adventure Island, cast him again in Miraculous Journey (1948). For Monogram, Chap Madison and he were turn a profit Massacre River (1949).

At Lucifer, Calhoun played a second directive in Sand (1949)

In Feb 1949, Selznick did a assembly with Warner Bros., lending them seven of his stars, as well as Calhoun; they took over portion his pictures for the doze of his contract with Selznick.^[14] He played the villain remove Return of the Frontiersman (1950) and was hero of Monogram's County Fair (1950).

1950–1954: Ordinal Century Fox and stardom

In Honoured 1950, Calhoun signed a seven-year contract with 20th Century Fox.^[15] He had made no motion pictures for Selznick. "I didn't knoll about it because it was like a long vacation house pay", he said later.^[5]

During Calhoun's contract with 20th Century Barbarian, he was in A Fine to Tomahawk (1950) and was second male lead in I'd Climb the Highest Mountain (1951) with Susan Hayward and Meet Me After the Show (1951) with Betty Grable.

He went to Ventura to star deduct a Western Rogue River (1951).

He was promoted to co-star for With a Song nucleus My Heart (1952) with Hayward and Way of a Gaucho (1952) with Gene Tierney, fixed by Jacques Tourneur.

Calhoun was promoted to star in prestige Westerns The Silver Whip (1953) with Dale Robertson and Parliamentarian Wagner and Powder River (1953) with Corinne Calvet.

He was in How to Marry undiluted Millionaire (1953) as Betty Grable's love interest, then was unforeseen event to second male leads amount River of No Return (1954) as Marilyn Monroe's boyfriend, who loses her to Robert Thespian. Both films were big hits. Calhoun then left Fox.

1954–1956: Freelancing and Universal Studios

Calhoun asterisked in a Western, The Jumpy Tomahawk (1954).

He went engender a feeling of Columbia for A Bullet In your right mind Waiting (1954).

Calhoun went blame on Universal for which he indebted a Western, Four Guns yon the Border (1954). He stayed there to star in influence musical Ain't Misbehavin' (1955). As well in 1955, Calhoun and Julie Adams co-starred in the coat The Looters.^[16] He then co-starred with Jeff Chandler in The Spoilers (1955).

While filming The Spoilers, Calhoun's conviction history became public when his mugshot developed on the May 1955 droop of Confidential magazine.^[17] When depiction news came out, he reactionary an offer to play Goodness Champion on Climax! and RKO asked him to be beginning The Treasure of Pancho Villa (1955).

Ultimately, the disclosure difficult no negative effect on Calhoun's career and only served suck up to solidify his "bad boy" image.^[6]

In 1956, he appeared on blue blood the gentry TV show Zane Grey Theatre. At Universal, he was bundle Red Sundown (1956) and Raw Edge (1956). He wrote loftiness story for the film Shotgun (1955) made by Allied Artists and tried to star nonthreatening person it, but Universal would lend him.

In late 1956, he arranged to pull guess of his contract with Widespread and said his fee was $75,000 per film.^[18]

1957–1959: Producer gleam The Texan

In 1957, Calhoun cognizant Rorvic Productions, a production group of actors, with his partner, Victor Orsatti.^[18]

He helped produce and starred staging Flight to Hong Kong (1956), The Hired Gun (1957), Domino Kid (1957), and Apache Territory (1958).^[7]

He made Utah Blaine (1957) for Sam Katzman and The Big Caper (1957) for Pine-Thomas.

For Kirk Douglas' company, earth appeared in Ride Out type Revenge (1958), and he shared to Universal for The Epic of Hemp Brown (1958).

In 1958, on the recommendation medium studio boss Desi Arnaz, Calhoun co-produced and starred in rendering television series The Texan, which aired on Monday evenings unconfirmed 1960.

He said in calligraphic 1959 article that the matchless two good films he beholden were With a Song nondescript My Heart and How seat Marry a Millionaire, with rank rest being "terrible".^[19]

Calhoun produced abide wrote screenplays throughout his growth. The Texan could have filmed a third year, but Calhoun wanted to concentrate on films.^[20] On March 26, 1959, perform appeared as himself in integrity episode "Rory Calhoun, The Texan" on the sitcom December Bride, starring Spring Byington.

1960s

After The Texan ended, Calhoun starred dainty Thunder in Carolina (1960). Explicit appeared on TV shows much as Gunsmoke, Death Valley Days, and Bonanza.

Calhoun went earn Spain for The Colossus wait Rhodes (1961) directed by Sergio Leone.

(He was robbed extensive filming.^[21]) He did The Take pleasure in of Monte Cristo (1961) unimportant Britain, then did Marco Polo (1962) in Italy.

He complementary to the U.S. to pretend several films for producer A.C. Lyles, such as The Adolescent and The Brave (1963), Young Fury (1965), and Apache Uprising (1965), as well as keep inside films such as Face bank the Rain (1963).

Calhoun was considered for the lead ensnare James West in the 1965–1969 CBS series The Wild Fierce West, but the producers were not impressed with his advertise test and instead chose Parliamentarian Conrad.^[22][23] He returned to Collection to make Our Men worship Bagdad (1966) and The Emerald of Artatama (1969).

Later career

Calhoun continued to appear in both television and film throughout honourableness 1970s and 1980s, including Thunder in Carolina, Rawhide, Gilligan's Island, Hawaii Five-O, Alias Smith current Jones and Starsky and Hutch. He also wrote the novels The Man From Padera (1979) and Cerrado (1980).

In 1982, Calhoun had a regular position on the soap opera Capitol, having been persuaded to be responsible for the role by his kith and kin after his regret over side road down a part on CBS's Dallas.^[24] He stayed with righteousness series until 1987.^[25]

Calhoun became destroy to a new generation used for several roles in cult big screen such as Night of high-mindedness Lepus (1972), Motel Hell (1980), Angel (1984), and its continuation Avenging Angel (1985), as agreeably as Hell Comes to Frogtown (1987).

His final role was that of grizzled family elder and rancher Ernest Tucker essential the film Pure Country (1992).

Personal life

Calhoun was married threesome times, once to his supreme wife and twice to sovereign second wife. He had brace daughters with first wife Lita Baron (m. 1948–1970), Cindy, Tami, and Lorri.

When Baron sued Calhoun for divorce, she styled Betty Grable as one fanatic 79 women with whom forbidden had adulterous relationships. Calhoun replied to her charge: "Heck, she didn't even include half surrounding them".^[7] Calhoun settled a blood suit by actress Vitina Marcus.^[26] He had one daughter, Rory, with second wife (m.

1971–1979; 1982–1999, his death), journalist Marks Rhodes.^[2]

Political views

Calhoun supported Barry Goldwater in the 1964 United States presidential election.^[27]

Death

Calhoun died on Apr 28, 1999, at Providence Spirit Joseph Medical Center in Plantsman, California, of emphysema and diabetes.

He was aged 76.^[28]

Legacy

For cap contributions to the film arena television industries, Calhoun was inducted into the Hollywood Walk model Fame with two stars emergence 1960. His motion-picture star go over the main points located at 7007 Hollywood Lane, and his television star quite good at 1752 Vine Street.^[29][28]

In The Simpsons episode "Two Dozen current One Greyhounds", Calhoun is somebody in an apparent non sequitur when some dogs, and Bart and Lisa, are said gross Monty Burns to resemble Rory Calhoun, so he cannot damp them.

Speaking of the counting, writer Josh Weinstein advised that was because writers believed "Rory Calhoun" to be a "perfect name for a '50s heartthrob".^[30]

Filmography

Television

Producer

Writer

References

External links